Features > General > Pub Grub: A Love-Hate Relationship
From the wood-paneled bars to the ye-olde-timber to the copious amounts of ale, lagers, and gin and tonics being passed through the bar on an hourly basis, the English pub is a place to go for a “pint!,” a place for older men to wile away hours of their time over drinks, hearty food, and the occasional drunken brawl over heavy oak tables. But a younger generation is coming to these pubs as well, with a fresher outlook and a more diverse appeal. Nearly every pub worth its salt has an Indian dish – Chicken tikka has become as “English” as bangers and mash. And while England isn't generally known for its cuisine, read on for a guide to pub food and how to get the most out of your english experience.
1) UNDERSTANDING BANGERS AND MASH
Neither the delicious, meaty sausages of Vienna nor the rubbery hot dogs of New York City, Bangers are an English institution of their own. Not necessarily made of meat – vegetarian sausage is becoming an increasing possibility – bangers are an inventive mix of protein and extra flavors (rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, the list goes on) that need to be pared not with a bread or bun but with mash. Like bangers, mashes are varied – enjoy swedes, turnips, or even rose-flavored mashes in addition to your standard potatoes. And for a little extra something, get the unsavorily named “Toad in the Hole” for bangers and mash nestled inside a Yorkshire pudding, a light savory pastry.
2) SUNDAY ROAST
Every Englishman loves his Sunday roast, and although if you're used to steak tartare and sizzling barely-cooked meat, you may find the roast beef inedible, there's nevertheless vegetarian nut roast and chicken varieties of the standard dish to make it worthwhile for everybody. Between the mashed potatoes, flavorful Yorkshire pudding, and blanched vegetables, the Sunday roast is a balanced meal that works as a late-lunch/early-dinner after church on a leisurely Saturday afternoon.
3) THE FRY-UP
Not always served at a pub, but nevertheless a casual-dining English tradition, the fry-up breakfast is appalling to outsiders, beloved by those in the known. This hangover-curing, artery-clogging mix of sausages, baked beans, bacon, hash browns, mushroom, eggs, toast, and any combination thereof is a fattening, delicious morning treat sure to sober up even the heaviest of drinkers.
By Tara Isabella Burton
AllStays Pro Online
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